Syria detains 16 former Air Force pilots and officers — Asharq Al-Awsat
Syrian security forces have detained 16 former pilots and Air Force officers, including senior commanders, in less than a month. They are suspected of involvement in planning, directing or carrying out airstrikes on populated areas during the war in Syria, Asharq Al-Awsat reports.
Detentions in Latakia, Tartus and Aleppo
The operations were conducted mainly in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, as well as in Aleppo province in northern Syria. The latest detainee was former pilot Khaldoun Hussein Mubarak, who, according to state television channel Alikhbariah, was detained by the Counter-Terrorism Directorate in a rural area near Jableh in Latakia province.
Local media reported that Mubarak was detained at his home in the village of Ain al-Qayta. In 2020, he survived after his aircraft was shot down near Saraqib in Idlib province. State media at the time reported that the aircraft had been hit by Turkish aviation.
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The investigation continues
On September 18, Tartus internal security chief Colonel Abdul Aal Mohammed Abdul Aal announced the detention of five former senior Air Force officers as part of operations conducted jointly with the Counter-Terrorism Directorate. According to him, they are suspected of involvement in planning, directing and carrying out airstrikes on populated areas in accordance with their positions and duties. The investigation is to determine the extent of their possible criminal responsibility before the cases are referred to court.
On September 10, Latakia security authorities announced the detention of nine former pilots and officers suspected of involvement in attacks and violations in several Syrian provinces through their service in fixed-wing and helicopter aviation. A source at Syria's Interior Ministry told SANA that the nine had logged more than 3,200 flight hours and sorties during the period of the uprising and war, including over Eastern Ghouta, Aleppo and its outskirts, Deir ez-Zor, and rural areas of Hama.
On September 5, former senior Air Force commander Brigadier General Pilot Hamidi Ali Murad was also detained in Aleppo. He previously commanded several military air bases, including Mezzeh in Damascus, T4 in the eastern part of Homs province, and Kuweires east of Aleppo, and also headed the Air Force Academy.
